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valence electrons

Cultural  
  1. In chemistry, those electrons found in orbits farthest from the nucleus of the atom. These electrons determine the way in which the atom will combine with other atoms, and thus determine its chemical properties.


Example Sentences

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They theorized that sodium's core electrons, thought to be inert, would interact with each other and the outer valence electrons when under extreme pressure.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 29, 2023

The additional valence electrons around the metal atoms then reorganized to bridge these openings, forming new bonds between neighboring metal atoms.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2023

Each combination yielded a different concentration of valence electrons within the material.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2023

The similarity in chemical properties among elements of the same group occurs because they have the same number of valence electrons.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Two of the valence electrons in the HCl molecule are shared, and the other six are located on the Cl atom as lone pairs of electrons.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

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